better dxing through software the dxlab suite 2012-03-19 v1.4

Better DXing Through Software

the DXLab Suite 2012-03-19 v1.4

Eight free applications that run individually

but

when run simultaneously sense each other’s presence

and

interoperate automatically

Better DXing Through Software

the DXLab Suite

Original Architecture: Monolithic

3.792

Transceiver Control

Logging

Propagation

Location Control

DX Spot Collection

QSL Routes

DXLab

Re-architecture (2000): Modular

3.792

Transceiver Control Location Control

Logging DX Spot Collection

Propagation QSL Routes

PSK & RTTY

the DXLab Suite

3.792

Commander DXView

WinWarbler

DXKeeper SpotCollector

PropView Pathfinder

A Suite of Interoperating DXing Applications

Single Point of Control: DXLab Launcher

Development Drivers

1. User-driven iterative development Open Yahoo group with ~3700 participants Defect repairs get highest priority; goal is < 24 hours Public enhancement lists Closed source, one developer Frequent releases

• Full releases for first-time installation• Incremental updates for defect repairs and enhancements• Automated installation and updates

2.Easy to Use AND Powerful

Automated Installation and Updates: Apps

Automated Installation and Updates: Databases

Development Drivers

1. User-driven iterative development

2. Easy to Use AND Powerful No menus Graphical Controls with popup explanations Online and PDF reference documentation Online step-by-step explanations (Wiki) User feedback from frequent releases

• Improves usability• Improves documentation

Documentation: Online Reference

Documentation: PDF Reference

Documentation: Step-by-Step

Documentation: Explanatory Popups

the DXLab Suite

3.792

Commander DXView

WinWarbler


PropView Pathfinder

Commander: Transceiver Control

• Controls and displays Frequency & Mode Receiver bandwidth Split & Dual Receive Other CAT-accessible settings via user-defined controls Transverters on 6m, 4m, 2m, 70cm

• Manages frequency-dependent devices Displays settings for Tuners and Amplifiers Supports automatic Antenna and Transceiver switching

• Switches among 4 primary radios

• Secondary CAT Port Frequency and mode tracking by an independent radio SDR-based panadaptors (SpectraVue, CW Skimmer, BobCAT)


• Controls and displays Frequency & Mode Receiver bandwidth Split & Dual Receive Other CAT-accessible settings (standard and user-defined controls) Transverters on 6m, 4m, 2m, 70cm

• Manages frequency-dependent devices Displays settings for Tuners and Amplifiers Supports automatic Antenna and Transceiver switching

• Switches among 4 primary radios

• Secondary CAT Port Frequency and mode tracking by an independent radio SDR-based panadaptors (SpectraVue, CW Skimmer, BobCAT)

Commander: Multiple Radio Support

Select one of four primary radios• By button click• Automatically as a function of frequency

Commander: Multiple Radio Support

The Secondary radio can• Follow the active primary radio• Lead the active primary radio

Commander Memories: 10 Banks of 10

Commander Memories: Scanning

Commander: Bandspread

Commander: More Than 100 Radios Supported

Hardware• Alinco

• DZ

• Elecraft

• Icom

• JRC

• Kachina

• Kenwood

• TenTec

• Yaesu

SDR Consoles• BobCAT• CWSkimmer• PowerSDR• SpectraVue• SDR-Radio

SDR• FlexRadio• HPSDR Mercury• Microtelecom Perseus• RFSpace SDR-IQ, SDR-14• SoftRock

• SRL QuickSilver QS1R

the DXLab Suite

3.792

Commander DXView

WinWarbler


PropView Pathfinder

DXView Information

• by Callsign

• by Prefix

• by IOTA tag

• by Grid

• by Latitude/Longitude

DXView Information: Phrase Translation

Language selection by DXCC entity

• 70 languages

• 50 phrases

DXView Databases

DXView Information: USAP Database

• by Callsign

• by Prefix

• by IOTA tag

• by Grid

• by Latitude/Longitude

DXView Rotator Control

• AlfaSpid

• ARSWIN

• Heath

• Hygain

• LP-Rotor

• M2

• N1MM

• Prosistel

• SARtek

• TIC

• TrackBox

• Yaesu

DXView: World Map Display

• Beam heading

• Solar terminator

• Auroral Zone Boundaries

• Point & Click• Antenna Rotation

• Propagation Prediction

DXView: CQ Zone Overlay

• Beam heading





DXView: ITU Zone Overlay

• Beam heading





DXView: Maidenhead Field Overlay

• Beam heading





DXView: Solar Terminator

DXView Sunrise/Sunset Times

DXView: Country Maps

DXView: Google Maps

the DXLab Suite

3.792

Commander DXView

WinWarbler


PropView Pathfinder

DXKeeper

• Logging

• QSLing

• Award Tracking

• Multiple QTHs per log

• Import QSOs from file

• Export QSOs to file

DXKeeper: Logging

• Comprehensive log database

• Powerful QSO searching, sorting, and editing

• Capture window optimized for operating

• Callbook access

DXKeeper Main Window

DXKeeper Main Window: Previous QSOs

DXKeeper Main Window: Award Panel

DXKeeper Main Window: Subdivision Selector

DXKeeper Main Window: QSL Panel

DXKeeper Main Window: Online QSL Panel

DXKeeper Main Window: User-defined Fields

DXKeeper: Logging

• Comprehensive database



• Callbook access

DXKeeper Capture Window

DXKeeper: Logging

• Comprehensive database



• Callbook access The usual suspects

• Radio Amateur’s Callbook CDROM

• Buckmaster HamCall CDROM

• HamCall.net

• HamQTH.com (free with no advertising)

• QRZ local database

• QRZ.com (free with advertising, or data subscription) Update logged QSOs en masse

DXKeeper: QSLing

• Generates QSL cards and Labels

• Generates Address labels or prints envelopes

• Support for eQSL.cc and ARRL’s LotW One-click upload One-click download and update Independent tracking

• Automatic upload to Club Log

• Generates files for BV, QSL Maker, QSL Design and Print Online QSL Request Service (OQRS), Global QSL

DXKeeper: QSLing with Cards

DXKeeper: QSL Card Print Preview

DXKeeper: QSL Card

DXKeeper: QSL Card with Background Image

DXKeeper: QSLing with Labels

DXKeeper: QSL Card Label Preview

DXKeeper: QSLing with Labels

DXKeeper: QSLing with Logbook of the World

DXKeeper: Award Tracking

DXKeeper: Award Tracking

• DXCC* & Challenge* generates submission tracks verification

• CQ DX*

• CQ DX Marathon

• CQ Field*

• Gridsquares

• IOTA*

• TOPLIST*

• VUCC*

• Worked All Continents*

• Worked All Europe

• Worked All Prefixes*

• Worked All Zones*

* identifies needed confirmations

• Worked All British Areas

• Worked All Canadian Provinces

• Worked All French Departments

• Worked All German DOKs

• Worked All Holyland Areas

• Worked All Hungarian Counties

• Worked All Italian Provinces

• Worked All Japanese Cities

• Worked All Japanese Guns

• Worked All Japanese Prefectures

• Worked All Russian Oblasts

• Worked All Russian Districts

• Worked All US States*

• Worked All US Counties*

DXKeeper: Realtime DXCC Award Tracking

DXKeeper: Realtime Marathon Award Tracking

DXKeeper: Realtime WAZ Award Tracking

DXKeeper: by QSL Kind

DXKeeper: QSL Aging

DXKeeper: DXCC Submission

• Chooses confirmed QSOs to submit

• Generates application

• Supports ARRL’s new “Online DXCC”

DXKeeper: DXCC Credit Management

• Compare granted DXCC Credits to logged QSOs

• Download Granted DXCC Credits from ARRL Link DXCC Credits to logged QSOs Update logged QSOs to reflect DXCC Credit Granted

the DXLab Suite

3.792

Commander DXView

WinWarbler


PropView Pathfinder

WinWarbler

• Supports PSK31, PSK63, PSK125, RTTY, CW, and Phone

• 32 macros, comprehensive macro language

• Logging

• Transceiver Control

WinWarbler: PSK31/63/125 Support

PSK31/63/125 Broadband Decoding

WinWarbler RTTY Support

• Soundcard RTTY uses JE3HHT’s MMTTY engine

• External modem: diversity decoding KAM PK232 PK900 MFJ SCS

WinWarbler RTTY Support

WinWarbler

• CW transmission software-generated WinKey Via transceiver CAT command external modem

• Phone voice keyer

• Logging Built-in minilog Automatically logs to DXKeeper if running

• Transceiver control via Commander Logs correct frequencies One-click QSY to optimize tone within transceiver bandwidth RX-TX switching

the DXLab Suite

3.792

Commander DXView

WinWarbler


PropView Pathfinder

SpotCollector

• Connects to six spot sources Four telnet clusters DX Summit web cluster Local packet cluster via external TNC

• Captures DX spots and places them into a database with one entry for each active DX station

• Highlights and announces “needed” stations DXCC, Challenge, & TopList CQ Marathon CQ WAZ

• Captures WWV spots

SpotCollector: DX Spot Database

Discards bogus spots (B0ZO, SL1M, etc.) Combines spots of same DX station Filters database by

• Need• Callsign• Country

Colors database entries• by Need• by LotW participation and date of last upload• By eQSL AG membership• by Callsign matching

Plots• Spots and QSOs on DXView’s world map• Spots on Commander’s bandspread

• Frequency• Band• Mode

• Continent• Origin• Distance from spotting station

SpotCollector: Cumulative Spot Notes

SpotCollector: “Needed”

SpotCollector: “Needed” and spotted from NA-E


Discards bogus spots (B0ZO, SL1M, etc.) Combines spots of same DX station Filters database by

• Need• Callsign• Country

Colors database entries• by Need• by LotW participation and date of last upload• By eQSL AG membership• by Callsign matching

Plots• Spots and QSOs on DXView’s world map• Spots on Commander’s bandspread

• Frequency• Band• Mode

• Continent• Origin• Distance from spotting station

SpotCollector: Plotted DX

SpotCollector: Plotted 160m DX

SpotCollector: Plotted DX spotted from NA-E

SpotCollector: DX on Commander’s Bandspread


Double-click Database, Map, or Bandspread to• QSY the transceiver (freq, mode, split, dual rcv, QSX)• Rotate the antenna• Populate

DXKeeper’s Capture window WinWarbler’s QSO Info panel

Announces needed spots via the soundcard Tracks statistics

• by band• By continent

Built-in web server for local spot distribution

SpotCollector: Built-in Web Server

Droid Does DX!

SpotCollector: Messages & Announcements

SpotCollector: WWV Spots (all parameters)

SpotCollector: WWV Spots (SFI & A only)

the DXLab Suite

3.792

Commander DXView

WinWarbler


PropView Pathfinder

PropView

• Predicts propagation

• Monitors propagation

PropView: Propagation Prediction

• Includes three prediction engines ICEPAC IONCAP VOACAP

• Gets solar flux and K-index from SpotCollector

• Gets locations from DXView

• Produces graphical prediction

PropView: Propagation Prediction

PropView: Propagation Monitoring

• Monitors NCDXF/IARU beacon network

• Builds beacon schedules by band by bearing by specified beacons

• QSYs transceiver per beacon schedule

• Rotates antenna per beacon schedule

PropView: Propagation Monitoring

the DXLab Suite

3.792

Commander DXView

WinWarbler


PropView Pathfinder

Pathfinder: QSO Information from the Web

• Sources Country-specific callbooks (~80) QSL sites (~40) DX Summit spot archives

• 12 user-assignable search keys

• Captures callsigns selected via DXView DXKeeper WinWarbler SpotCollector

Pathfinder

the DXLab Ecosystem3.792

Commander DXView

WinWarbler


PropView Pathfinder


Commander DXView

WinWarbler


PropView Pathfinder

MixWMultiPSK MMSSTV DM780 FLDigi


Commander DXView

WinWarbler


PropView Pathfinder

MixWMultiPSK MMSSTV

DX Atlas

DM780 FLDigi

the DXLab Ecosystem

Interoperation MultiPSK MMSSTV MMVARI CWSkimmer DM780 FLDigi IZ8BLY Hellschreiber Ham Radio Deluxe N1MM and N1MM Rotor WinContest DX Atlas($) LP StepLink ($) MixW($)

Add-ins Alpha 87a control BMUtil CW Skimmer DXLPlus Frequency/S-meter display HamSked DXing calendar SpotSpy Web-site generation

DXLab: Continuing Development

• Commander Second Secondary CAT Port

• DXKeeper More realtime award tracking

• DXView Interoperation with Google Earth

• WinWarbler Improve MMTTY’s RTTY decoder CW decoding Additional digital modes

• PropView Long-term beacon analysis

DXLab: Prerequisites

• Minimum (1 application) 133 MHz Pentium 64 MB DRAM 800x600 SVGA monitor Windows 98SE

• OK (all applications) 600 MHz Pentium 2 512 MB DRAM 1280x1024 XVGA monitor Windows 2000 or Windows XP

• Optimum (all applications) 2 GHz dual-core 2 GB DRAM 1600x1200 XVGA monitor or multiple smaller monitors Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)

www.dxlabsuite.com/download.htm

DXLab: Better DXing Through Software

better dxing through software the dxlab suite 2012-03-19 v1.4

Documents

active primary radiolead

updates easy

transceiver controlcontrols

transceiver switchingswitches

appsautomated installation

multiple radio supportselect

transceiver controlcommander

softwarethe dxlab suite2012